I’m happy to announce that on Saturday, August 22^nd, I will be leading the “Wild Plants As Medicine” Workshop & Summer Foraging Hike at North Park in Western Pennsylvania… and I would love for you to join me!

This time, we’ll be discussing how to develop a personalized medicinal strategy using the various wild plants of the Northeastern United States… including the species growing in your backyard!

I’m so excited to be leading this event, as this is a topic that is more important today than ever before.

Why, you may be asking?

Well, this may come as no surprise to anyone, though what I’m about to say is worth acknowledging:

We don’t exactly live in “ideal” times anymore.  Meaning…

Our air isn’t as clean as it used to be.  (Air quality recently measured at Beaver Falls was among the worst 10 percent of the nation’s monitors; in Lawrenceville, it’s among the worst 25 percent in the nation.)

Our water isn’t as clean as it used to be.  (A stream that feeds a water treatment plant in Greene County was recently found to contain 60 times the maximum amount of radiation allowed in drinking water. Yes, that’s 6-0.)

And our food certainly isn’t as clean as it used to be.  (Glyphosate, anyone?)

Throw in a diet that typically lacks bitter (read: medicinal) flavors, and the outcomes don’t look so hot.

Diabetes, headaches, insomnia, arthritis, cancer, dementia, heart disease, influenza and other viral infections… is it any wonder that these illnesses plague the human species (and not squirrels, snapping turtles, or snakes)?

Perhaps you currently experience one or more of the above conditions, and you’re looking for alternatives to the medications typically prescribed to you.

(There are local wild plants that address all of those illnesses by the way… for free!)

Or, perhaps you currently feel pretty good, though you’d like to take immediate action right now to reduce your chances of experiencing any of the aforementioned illnesses somewhere down the line.

The solution?

“Everything you need is growing in your backyard.”

Ever hear that before?

Listen…

Organic food is great… though it’s not enough.

Non-GMO? Fantastic!… though it’s still not enough.

Local, sustainable, meditated on and blessed by the Dalai Lama himself … sorry to say, this still may not be enough.

You see, for optimal health… ya know, the kind of health that beams outward from the depths of one’s 5-carbon sugared backbone we typically refer to as DNA… Homo sapiens require the wild medicines from the landscape.

And, I’d love to show you how to make it all happen in this 2-part event on August 22^nd!

The first part will feature a presentation on personalizing a medicinal strategy using the wild plants of the Northeastern United States. We will also begin the process of making a medicinal tincture, which can be taken home for you to finish (sorry, no alcohol allowed in this park!). Part 2 will include a hike in the park as we identify and discuss late summer edible and medicinal plants and mushrooms.

By attending this program, you will learn:

• The importance of developing a medicinal strategy based on wild plants
• Medicinal benefits of specific wild plants, supported by research
• How to make wild plant infusions
• How to make tinctures
• Wild plant field identification
• Wild plant nutrition
• Plant harvesting methods
• Latin nomenclature

… and much more!

Each participant will receive the starting materials for a wild plant extraction (which we will start in the workshop), as well as an e-book with notes from the workshop, summer medicinal plant descriptions, medicine-making instructions, and more!

This program will entail light to moderate hiking, and will take place rain or shine.  Please note that in order to maximize your learning experience, space is limited and registration with payment in advance is required to secure your spot.  The exact class meeting location will be provided upon registration.

When:  Saturday, August 22^nd
Where:  North Park, Allegheny County, Western Pennsylvania (13 miles north of Pittsburgh)
Time:  1:00 – 4:00 PM
Investment: $45

To register:  Please email Adam at adamharitan@gmail.com

Come enjoy an eventful mid-summer’s day in a beautiful park with a great group of foragers!  We look forward to seeing you there!

Thanks!
-Adam Haritan

I imagine that choosing a favorite mushroom is a bit like choosing a favorite child.

(“Who would it be, Mom?”)

Impossible to do!  Why even ask such a silly question?

However, if I had to narrow down my selection of fungi to only a handful of desirable species, surely I could do that…

… and this one, the reishi mushroom (Ganoderma tsugae), would make the cut.

Why?

Okay… another difficult question, but I’ll try to answer.

Perhaps it’s the beauty to which I’m drawn, with its lacquered hues of yellows, oranges, and reds.  Or maybe it’s the way this mushroom makes me feel internally, knowing that ample research exists to support its medicinal benefits.

Whatever the true reason, Ganoderma tsugae remains one of my favorite mushrooms to seek out and harvest, and I continue to be humbled — year after year — by its splendor.

If you are interested in learning more about the reishi mushroom, I encourage you to check out a brand new video I created.

In the video, I discuss the habitat, key identification characteristics, and medicinal benefits of this remarkable medicinal mushroom.

Enjoy!  (And if you have a second, I’d love to know what you think!)

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Want to connect with naturalists in your area?  Some of them may even be reishi mushroom experts!  Check out Learn Your Land to learn more!

Thank you!
Adam Haritan